Clutch for propeller-shafts.



No. 646,745. Patented Apr. 3, I900. A. A. LOW.

CLUTCH FOR PROPELLEB SHAFTS.

(Application filed. Nov. 7, 1899.) (No Model.) 2 Shasta-Sheet l.

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No. 646,745. Patented Apr. 3, I900. A. A. LOW. CLUTCH FDR P RUPELLER SHAFTS.

(Applicafiion filed Nov. 7, 1899.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFicE.

ABBOT AUGUSTUS LOW, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

CLUTCH FOR PROPELLER SHAFTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 646,745, dated April 3,1900. Application filed November 7, 1899. Serial No. 736,088. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

. Be it known that LABBOT AUGUSTUS LoW,a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of New York, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Controlling Marine Propellers, of which the following is a specifica-' tion sufficient to enable others skilled in the art to which the invention appertains to make and use thesarne.

My invention relates to mechanism for connecting or disconnecting marine propellers with relation to the motor employed for the propulsion of a boat, and is designed to render such means effective and positive in operation, and thereby guard against accident or delay.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement, with the propeller-shaft and with the motor-shaft, of a clutch or coupling device controlled by a segmental rack and lever of special construction, as hereinaftermore fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic representation of the plan of a boat equipped with my improved screw controlling mechanism; Fig. 2, an elevation of the same, also diagrammatic. Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively elevations of opposite sides of my segmental rack and lever detached; Fig. 5, a top view of the same.

In Figs. 1 and 2, which are necessarily symbolical, the outline of the boat B is indicated by dotted lines. P is the propeller, and 19 its shaft, mounted in such manner that it may be moved longitudinally within certain limits. On the inner end of the propeller-shaft p is mounted a conical clutch-wedge W or equivao lent. The motor-shaft m isin line with the lon-.

gitudinal axis of the propeller-shaft 19, its opposed end being provided with the cup-shaped disk D, which rotates with the said powershaft m. I

It is obvious that instead of the clutch mechanism shown herein by way of illustration any suitable 'or Well-known mechanical expedient may be substituted without departing from the spirit and intent of my invention, the essential feature in this respect being the interposition between the propeller and the power shafts of means of coupling or un- Secured rigidly to the propeller-shaft p are '7 annular shoulders cl d, with which the-upper ends of a bifurcated rock-lever R engage. The lower end of this rock-lever R is connected by a rod 7' with a bell-crank lever L, interposed between said rod r and the vertical link N, the upper end of which is pivotally connected to the short arm 5 of the handlever S. The hand-lever S travels between twosegmental guides G G, one of which, G,

is formed peripherally with a series of rack teeth g g for engagement with corresponding teeth 5' on the ratchet lever or dog 5 which tends constantly to positively engage, with the segment G by reason of the spring q acting through the plunger 0 upon the lateral and pivotal arm 5- of the said dog-lever The segmental guides G G are fastened to the superstructure of the how, the hand-1ever S being pivotally supported thereon also.

By way of illustration the operation may be stated as follows: The dog lever 5 being raised against the action of the spring q to release the teeth 3 from the rack-teeth g, the

hand-lever S is thrown over in one direction or the other to throw the clutch-plug W into or out of engagement with'the cup-disk D to I connect or disconnect the two shafts p and m,

as may be desired, the dog-lever 3 being then It is obvious that instead of having the propeller-shaft 1) move longitudinally to engagethe motor-shaft m the part of the clutch device on said propeller-shaft may be feathered or otherwise connected so as to slide thereon.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a device for controlling marine propellers, the combination of the motor 0, the pitmen a, the crank m, the motor-shaft m, the cup-shaped disk D, on said motor-shaft, the propeller P, propeller-shaft p, movable longitudinally in its bearings, the shoulders d, 01, 

